?<strong>Chapter 867:</strong>


    Kallie felt a tightness in her chest, her eyes quickly misting over.


    “I understand. Thank you so deeply for your care,” she said, her voice trembling.


    The doctor exhaled a weary sigh and turned to depart. Right then, Neal burst in. His eyes were bloodshot and brimming with tears. Copsing to his knees before Kallie, he sped his hands together in earnest.


    “Kallie, I’m begging you, let me take Brysen under my wing. I’ll look after her with all I’ve got. I’ve mulled it over. I don’t mind her suffering. My love for her is real, and it’s because I love her that I need to be by her side.”


    Kallie watched as tears streamed down Neal’s face, and she let out a gentle sigh.


    “Neal, it’s not that I’m unwilling, but you’re just partners, not spouses. If one day you find someone who captures your heart, neither Brysen nor I will hold you to this. Brysen loathes being a burden. You might think this is for the best, but she could wake up feeling overwhelmed by guilt and sorrow. I can’t let that happen.”


    Neal bit down hard on his lip, and his resolve hardened.


    “Then I’ll marry her. I vow here and now that if I fail her, you can dismiss me and let me face the dire consequences.”


    “But I must remain by Brysen’s side.”


    An astonished breath escaped Kallie as she stared, awestruck, realizing the lengths Neal was prepared to go. The intensity of hismitment left her both surprised and strangely moved.


    A wave of unease washed over Kallie as she recalled her previous suspicions and harsh judgments of Neal. Kallie hesitated and then cautiously suggested, “Why don’t we wait for Brysen to get a bit clearer-headed and let her decide for herself?”


    A shadow of discontent briefly clouded Neal’s features, yet he acquiesced with a reluctant nod.


    Over the next three days, as they lingered in the sterile white of the hospital, Brysen’s mental fog began to lift markedly. Her earlier frantic demeanor had subsided, reced by a solemn stillness. She now spent her hours in silent contemtion, seated next to her bed, withdrawing from food and conversation alike.


    Her newfound wariness around new faces, particrly those of unfamiliar men, became pronounced. Driven by a protective instinct, Kallie made the decision to swap all the male staff with female caregivers, aiming to create a safer, moreforting environment for Brysen.


    The scars on Brysen’s face, deep and jagged, spoke of wounds too profound to ever fully mend. Though the caregivers kept their concerns unspoken, their hushed conversations behind closed doors painted a different picture.


    Caught in a haze, Brysen often seemed unreachable, barricading herself within her own mind. Still, she wasn’t a fool. She could see through the words and understood exactly what was being implied.


    Kallie stumbled upon the scene just as Brysen was aggressively assaulting a caregiver. If Kallie hadn’t intervened when she did, Brysen could have escted to using a knife.


    Kallie swiftly intervened, pulling Brysen into her embrace. Brysen’s body shook uncontrobly, her eyes a swirling mix of fear and rage, resembling a cornered animal in distress.


    Kallie soothed Brysen, stroking her back and whispering, “It’s okay. I’m right here.”


    Gradually, Brysen’s trembling subsided, though her grip on Kallie’s hand remained iron-tight, like a shipwreck survivor clutching at a lifeline.


    Meanwhile, the caregiver, her face smeared with blood, struggled to her feet. Seeing Kallie, she saw an opportunity to express her ordeal and began to sob uncontrobly.


    “I know she’s under care, but being a patient doesn’t give her a free pass to kill. Look what she did to me. If you hadn’t shown up, I might have been dead.”


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